The politics and economics of the United States are wedded in the political economy of the nation state and the nationalist economic policies. This `nationalist paradigm' is, however, showing the following signs of fatigue: the role of the nation state is diminishing as the economy globalizes, US national accounting systems are less effective, technology forces change, trading blocs are emerging, there is less control of exchange rates, regional economies are restructuring, and competitive environments are changing. This book proposes that political jurisdictions are not economies but polities, and explores the complex and important economic implications of this thesis.